Part of this popularity may stem from the infamous Paris Hilton Sex Tape, which was released onto the internet near the end of 2003. The tape, which appeared to have been filmed in 2000, showed a 20 year old Paris having sex with an old boyfriend, Rick Solomon, a 32 year old businessman. The tape appeared to have been stolen from Mr Solomon by an old roommate, who then sold it for a $50,000 advance to Kevin Blatt, owner of Marvad Corp, who posted it on their website, www.sexbrat.com. The video was pulled after an outcry from the Hilton family, but the damage was already done. Comedians had a field day, and Paris had her 15 minutes of fame.

Besides her busy life starring in TV shows and unpaid pornography, Paris has also attempted to start up a make-up company and a modeling line - neither of these endeavours have proved particularly profitable.